Insights

I’m sure everybody will agree that 2021 has been a very challenging year for many reasons. As we approach the end of 2021 I’ve taken the opportunity to look back at the North East team’s performance over the last 12 months – and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. Most notably, we have seen an impressive increase in revenue, making 2021 our best year ever in terms of financial performance.  We have created this infographic to highlight our successes over the last 12 months and I have also written a little about some of our key achievements below too.  Launch of the ICT & Digital Technology specialism  In January 2021, following several successful placements and a clear demand for talented IT professionals we formally launched our ICT & Digital Technology specialism managed by my colleague and experienced recruiter Adam Burgess, Business Manager. To support our investment in this new specialism and the incredibly quick growth we were finding in this market, we hired Jake Winship, Recruitment Consultant in March 2021 to work alongside Adam. Their strong collaboration to date has been pivotal in seeing our ICT & Digital Technology offering going from strength-to-strength with exciting and ambitious plans for 2022.  Relationships with new and existing clients Having been formally awarded three recruitment contracts this year alone, our North East branch is now an approved supplier of both temporary and permanent staff to 11 businesses across the region. These exclusive agreements are with businesses with turnovers ranging from £66m to a staggering £55bn and encompass all of our specialisms; Finance & Accountancy, ICT & Digital Technology, Procurement, Change & Transformation, HR and Housing & Property Services.  As a specialist recruiter we are niche for a reason, and build our specialisms around the experience of our people – exactly what we have done with all of our North East team. This approach strengthens our standing as a key recruitment partner to our clients, who can rest assured that when they approach us with a vacancy they will get the same quality service time and time again.  During 2021, we were delighted to partner with an impressive 77 clients to help fulfil their recruitment needs and whilst we are always looking to grow our offering, we hugely value our strong relationships with our existing clients.  I recently received the following testimonial in relation to a piece of recruitment I had completed, which demonstrates the appreciation and the faith our clients have in us here in the North East. It was clear that I was working with a team of knowledgeable recruitment specialists and this was reflected in the quality and calibre of candidates that were referred to my organisation. We have built up a strong working relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Head of Financial Strategy, NHS Temporary and permanent placements My team and I have successfully placed over 140 candidates into temporary, fixed-term and permanent opportunities this year. I am also delighted to report that of the candidates we have surveyed recently, results showed that 100% would recommend us to friends or colleagues! I have no doubt that this comes as a result of the character, ability and overall professional service provided by myself and the whole North East recruitment team including our extremely experienced Office Manager Kathryn Heeler (who is fundamental to our success), as well as our Central Services teams such as Payroll and Compliance.  Charity football tournament in aid of If U Care Share In October 2021 we hosted our second charity football tournament to raise money and awareness for If U Care Share. If U Care Share is a charitable organisation who rely on people and businesses to raise funds for them so that they can continue to provide for and support families who have been affected by suicide. The spirit and atmosphere on the day was exemplary and we’re incredibly thankful to the 13 teams who took part making the day a huge success. Quite unbelievably, Sellick Partnership won the tournament with our very own Jo Sellick, Managing Director making an all-important save in the penalty shootout! In the 10+ years that we have been running sporting tournaments across the UK, this is the first time Sellick Partnership have ever won! I would also personally like to thank Maz Williams and Jake Winship in the North East team for all their hard work managing this tournament alongside our internal Marketing team.  Sponsorship of the HFMA Northern Conference Once again we sponsored the annual NHS HFMA Northern Branch Conference, which each year provides an invaluable opportunity for NHS finance professionals to collaborate, share ideas and also celebrate successes. For us, it felt great to be back doing what we do best – spending time with our clients and candidates, building long-term trusted relationships.  Looking ahead to 2022 In 2022 I’ll be celebrating 10 years with Sellick Partnership, a whole decade working for a business and alongside a team which supports me and encourages me to be the best possible version of myself. I will also be helping the company celebrate 20 years in business – a huge testament to our enviable reputation in the market as a leading provider of expert recruitment services across the UK. In the North East specifically, we are looking to add two Consultants to our talented team of recruiters to help us grow our offering across our chosen specialisms. I can confidently say that we are all really excited about 2022 and ready to support our clients and candidates with whatever the New Year may bring us! 

In our increasingly pressured modern world, it is important for businesses to practice some form of corporate social and environmental responsibility with the goal of contributing to the wellbeing of the communities and society they affect and on which they depend. Corporate Social Responsibility is a “management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions” (unido.org). At Sellick Partnership, our CSR strategy stems naturally from our core values – and we are passionate about how our business can make a real, positive difference to the environment around us. The guidelines that we have in place for our internal and external activities ensure that we can achieve a balance of economic, environmental and social imperatives. In this blog I wanted to share some of the things that we do and offer ideas to individuals and businesses out there because together we can make a difference. Community Since first establishing in 2002, giving back to the community has always been a priority of Sellick Partnership. Across the UK we work with a wide range of regional and national charities, including:  St Ann’s Hospice, me&dee and the Lord’s Taverners, among others. Each year our staff can use one paid day to volunteer in the community. This is something that some of our clients offer too and is a great way to encourage staff to get involved in helping the community. We run various charity sporting events which are a fun and collaborative way to get involved. For instance, last month we ran our 10th annual Midlands Charity Football Tournament in aid of the fantastic charity, me&dee. There are so many ways for business, groups and individuals to give back to the community. It can even be anything from an adrenaline-inducing skydive to a relaxed group walk or even a tasty office bake sale. Smalls things go a long way too, for example we donate the money from our office tuck shop to St. Ann’s Hospice. Charity fundraising is something we are very passionate about at Sellick Partnership and with such easy and fun ways to get involved, it’s a great way to give back to the community. Halloween is coming up and a charity bake sale is just one example of ways to fundraise for charity. Lots of our clients also do charity bake sales, ‘talk and tea’ sessions and charity runs in aid of charities they are passionate about. Environment We are acutely aware that climate change is unequivocally the result of human activity since the mid-20th century and is continuing at an unprecedented rate (IPCC, 2021). Businesses need to take responsibility to reduce these impacts moving forward. At Sellick Partnership we are passionate about doing our bit to help the environment. We reduce waste as much as we can by having recycling bins around the offices and social spaces, and working paperlessly wherever possible. When it comes to commuting, we encourage car sharing, cycling and the use of public transport. We have now also adopted a hybrid way of working so our staff often work from home which really reduces our carbon footprint. We have an accountability task every month to make sure everyone in the company is taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. The little things really add up, from turning off the lights and computers after a day at work in the office or at home, to having reusable items such as plates, cutlery and water bottles. Our staff have reduced plastic use by using Sellick Partnership canvass tote bags when going to the shops, and some of our teams are trying out meat-free days in efforts to reduce global emissions! Most of these community and environmental activities are things that everyone can do and get involved in. Many of our clients are also working really hard to cut back on waste, and have paperless and no-printing policies. Some clients have been working with arms-length organisations and environmental companies to assess how to lower their carbon footprint and increase their positive impact on the community. Most of our legal clients have all moved towards online case management systems so there is no more need to have so many paper files. Why not give it a go or suggest a new idea to your team? We are always happy to hear ideas for new ways that we can continue supporting the community and environment, so if you have any suggestions please contact our CSR Committee by emailing csrcommittee@sellickpartnership.co.uk